This seems like the most obvious thing in the world to me so I was surprised to come across a thread where there is some contention on the matter. At any rate, I've read the wiki entry and can conclude that I use a fork "English style" (obviously) with the fork in my left hand through-out the meal, tines down.
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I switch between hands and prong deployment as required. I realise this probably makes me terribly vulgar, but at least I don't eat with my mouth open.
Wow ... learn something every day...
Had no idea there was a US/Europe divide on knife and fork usage! What's with all that changing what hand uses the fork? Spear, cut, put down, pick up with other hand, insert into mouth, put down, swap hand .... ?!
I'm of the European right-hander's spear-with-left-cut with-right-eat-with-left method, tines-down.
Seriously. You're totally squandering all that time saved by dropping the 'u's from colour, rumour and neighbour
All this talk about fork handles is making me giggle.
Had no idea there was a US/Europe divide on knife and fork usage! What's with all that changing what hand uses the fork? Spear, cut, put down, pick up with other hand, insert into mouth, put down, swap hand .... ?!
I'm of the European right-hander's spear-with-left-cut with-right-eat-with-left method, tines-down.
Seriously. You're totally squandering all that time saved by dropping the 'u's from colour, rumour and neighbour
All this talk about fork handles is making me giggle.
Left hand when eating something that needs cut. Right hand to twirl pasta or scoop up rice etc.
And of course, I eat my peas with honey and I've done it all my life, it makes them taste quite funny but it keeps them on the knife*
EDIT: *As pointed out below, this is very dangerous and should not be attempted with a sharp knife. Butter knifes have nice wide blades and are probably easier. If you really like peas, use a spatula.
And of course, I eat my peas with honey and I've done it all my life, it makes them taste quite funny but it keeps them on the knife*
EDIT: *As pointed out below, this is very dangerous and should not be attempted with a sharp knife. Butter knifes have nice wide blades and are probably easier. If you really like peas, use a spatula.
We had a special assembly at primary school to inform us that this rhyme was banned on school premises, lest it encourage an impressionable youngster to attempt eating peas with a sharp knife and injure himself in the process.And of course, I eat my peas with honey and I've done it all my life, it makes them taste quite funny but it keeps them on the knife
True story.
That's pretty much the standard way in Germany I think. If I use the fork only, I use it in my right hand, though.
I usually hold the fork in my right hand. If I have to cut something, I'll put the fork in my left hand and the knife in my right, but then I'll put the knife down and put the fork in my right hand before eating. The direction of the tines depends on what the food is.
Wow, until now I did not actually realise that Americans ate with the fork in their left hand. In England we use forks in our right hands. Unless we're shovelling
I was sure someone would say s/he just used fingers and dropped cutlery all together - mad jew came the closest with his very creative answer.
The question is moot if you use a spork / runcible spoon (look under "attempts to define the word" for the latter).
The question is moot if you use a spork / runcible spoon (look under "attempts to define the word" for the latter).
I like spoons... you just cannot have too many spoons... mmmm... spoons... a fork is just a broken spoon...
Wow, was I ever in the minority.
Considering that the other poll about "what hand are you" says that something like 33% of those who answered are lefties...
Considering that among you righties, the majority of you eat prongs up...
So why are there only three of us who eat with the left hand, prongs up?!
Considering that the other poll about "what hand are you" says that something like 33% of those who answered are lefties...
Considering that among you righties, the majority of you eat prongs up...
So why are there only three of us who eat with the left hand, prongs up?!
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This is all way to easy.
I'm more interested in how you spoon...
If you want the real poop on fork etiquette, you need to include more options in the poll because it depends on whether you have a knife or not.
- The "official" original manners on fork use is that you use it tines-down in the non-dominant hand if the knife is in the dominant hand.
- If the fork is used by itself without a knife then it's supposed to be tines-down in the dominant hand.
- If you need to "scoop" food, then technically you are supposed to use a spoon, but in "casual" situations (most situations nowadays) it's considered okay to use a fork tines-up (again in the dominant hand) as a sort of spoon surrogate but never, ever scoop food onto the fork with your fingers.
actually i doubt that you are supposed to use a spoon since your spoon would already away after the soup dishes moved back to the kitchen ... at least in a formal situation
up and down mostly is dependent on food .. having it always pointing down simply makes no sense if looking at a modern table fork (after all they curved to be used as spronges up.. since elsewise they could have stayed with the old straight forks like centuries ago (my grand mother still had some of those)
also for cakes it's 100% spronges up (this just proves that brits have no idea about cakes )
as long as you don't cut spaghetti together with a knife and eat it with a spoon .. seriously there are people who do that
up and down mostly is dependent on food .. having it always pointing down simply makes no sense if looking at a modern table fork (after all they curved to be used as spronges up.. since elsewise they could have stayed with the old straight forks like centuries ago (my grand mother still had some of those)
also for cakes it's 100% spronges up (this just proves that brits have no idea about cakes
)as long as you don't cut spaghetti together with a knife and eat it with a spoon .. seriously there are people who do that
